A microwave heating apparatus

Abstract

The application relates to a microwave heating device. The microwave heating device is used in a microgravity environment and comprises a heating box, a water absorption element and a microwave assembly. The heating box is internally provided with a first chamber for placing food and a second chamber communicated with the first chamber. The water absorption element is arranged in the second chamber of the heating box and has a porous structure. The microwave assembly is arranged outside the heating box and has a microwave irradiation area covering the first chamber and the second chamber, and is used for emitting microwaves towards the first chamber and the second chamber to heat the food in the first chamber and the water absorption element to generate steam. The device can realize food heating and adjustable heating of the water absorption element through microwaves, can realize good micro-steaming effect when the food and the water absorption element are simultaneously heated by microwaves, can improve the heating taste and efficiency of dry food or food with uneven internal moisture distribution, and can realize separate heating of the food through a shielding plate to adapt to the rapid cooking of food with sufficient internal moisture.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of cooking technology, and in particular to a microwave heating device. Background Technology

[0002] During long-term stays on the space station, the quality of astronauts' diet is directly related to their physical and mental health and work efficiency. In a microgravity environment, traditional space food heating technology mostly relies on heat conduction heating plates, which have problems such as slow heating speed and uneven heating. Microwave equipment can significantly improve the heating speed of food and can achieve a good uniform heating effect for foods with uniform moisture content.

[0003] In a microgravity environment, the distribution of liquids in food is easily out of control. Relying solely on microwave heating can easily lead to localized overheating or uneven heating of the food. Existing technologies include devices that combine microwaves with steam generators. These devices first provide a humid heating environment for the food with steam, and then heat it with microwaves. This can improve the problem of uneven heating and low heating efficiency to some extent.

[0004] However, traditional microwave devices combined with steam generators present challenges in microgravity environments, including complex structures, high energy consumption, and difficulties in steam management. Furthermore, in microgravity environments, liquid steam is prone to runaway and may not evenly coat food, potentially leading to localized overheating or uneven heating, thus affecting the cooking results and taste of the food. Utility Model Content

[0005] Therefore, in order to address the problem that the steam generator structure of existing micro-steaming equipment is complex and the steam is difficult to evenly coat the food in microgravity environments, this application provides a microwave heating device that can simultaneously heat food and generate steam through a microwave device, and can make the steam evenly coat the food, thereby improving the heating taste and efficiency of the food, and enhancing the food cooking effect in microgravity environments.

[0006] In one embodiment of this application, a microwave heating device is provided for heating food in a microgravity environment. The device includes a heating box, a water-absorbing component, and a microwave assembly. The heating box has a first chamber for placing the food and a second chamber communicating with the first chamber. The water-absorbing component is located inside the second chamber of the heating box and has a porous structure. The microwave assembly is located outside the heating box and has a microwave irradiation area covering the first and second chambers for emitting microwaves toward the first and second chambers to heat the food in the first chamber and simultaneously heat the water-absorbing component to generate steam.

[0007] In one embodiment of this application, the first chamber and the second chamber in the device are stacked in the microwave irradiation area of ​​the microwave component, and the first chamber is located between the microwave emitting surface of the microwave component and the second chamber.

[0008] In one embodiment of this application, the device further includes a shielding plate, which is detachably disposed within the heating chamber and located between the first chamber and the second chamber.

[0009] In one embodiment of this application, the heating box includes an outer shell, a first box and a second box disposed within the outer shell, the first box and the outer shell forming a first chamber, the second box and the outer shell forming a second chamber, and a support member provided on the inner wall of the outer shell, the support member being located between the first box and the second box for supporting a shielding plate.

[0010] In one embodiment of this application, the heating box further includes a gas supply pipe, with its two ends connected to the first box and the second box, respectively.

[0011] In one embodiment of this application, the heating box further includes a plurality of flexible straps, which are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the first box to secure the food inside the first chamber.

[0012] In one embodiment of this application, the microwave assembly includes a magnetron and a stirrer connected to the magnetron. The magnetron is used to generate microwaves, and the stirrer is located above the heating chamber to transmit microwaves into the heating chamber.

[0013] In one embodiment of this application, the device further includes a cooking chamber having a cooking cavity that accommodates a heating chamber, a stirrer communicating with the cooking cavity, a positioning groove provided on the inner wall of the cooking chamber, and a positioning protrusion provided on the outer wall of the heating chamber that mates with the positioning groove. The positioning protrusion is detachably inserted into the positioning groove and can slide within the positioning groove.

[0014] In one embodiment of this application, the heating box has an exhaust pipe, and the cooking box is provided with an exhaust connector that matches the exhaust pipe. One end of the exhaust pipe is connected to the first chamber, and the other end is detachably connected to the exhaust connector on the cooking box.

[0015] In one embodiment of this application, the absorbent element is a porous polymer component.

[0016] In summary, in a microgravity environment, the heating chamber is equipped with a first chamber for placing food and a second chamber for placing water-absorbing components. The first chamber is connected to the second chamber. The microwave component can simultaneously emit microwaves into both chambers, enabling the device to generate a large amount of steam in the second chamber through microwave heating of the water-absorbing components. The continuously generated steam fills the second chamber and is then forced into the first chamber, achieving uniform coating of the food by the steam in the first chamber under microgravity conditions. The structure of directly generating steam by heating the water-absorbing components with microwaves is simple and convenient, avoiding the management difficulties of a separate steam generator. It achieves a micro-steaming effect in a microgravity environment, significantly improving the heating taste and efficiency of the food.

[0017] In addition, a removable shielding plate is provided between the first and second chambers, which can adjust the microwaves emitted by the microwave component into the second chamber. When the food to be heated is liquid or has sufficient moisture, installing the shielding plate can reduce or prevent the water-absorbing component from generating steam when heated by microwaves. When the moisture distribution inside the food to be heated is uneven and some parts are relatively dry, removing the shielding plate allows the water-absorbing component with a porous structure to be heated by microwaves to quickly generate a large amount of steam, which is then transmitted into the first chamber through the connecting channel to wrap the food, so that the dry parts of the food are moistened, thereby improving the heating effect and efficiency of the food. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a microwave heating device according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Cross-sectional schematic diagram of a microwave heating device; Figure 3 for Figure 1 A partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of a microwave heating device; Figure 4 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the heating chamber in a microwave heating device.

[0019] Figure label: 1. Microwave heating equipment; 10. Heating box; 11. Outer shell; 111. Support component; 12. First chamber; 13. Second chamber; 14. Gas supply pipe; 15. Flexible belt; 16. Positioning protrusion; 17. Exhaust pipe; 20. Water absorption component; 30. Microwave assembly; 31. Microwave emitting surface; 32. Magnetron; 33. Stirrer; 40. Shielding plate; 50. Cooking box; 51. Exhaust connector; 100. Food; 200. First chamber; 300. Second chamber; 400. Cooking cavity; 500. Positioning groove. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0021] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0022] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0023] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0024] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0025] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0026] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 This application provides a microwave heating device suitable for microgravity environments. It can heat food and adjust the heating of water-absorbing components using microwaves. When food and water-absorbing components are heated simultaneously by microwaves, a good micro-steaming effect can be achieved, improving the heating taste and efficiency of dry foods or foods with uneven internal moisture distribution. It can also achieve individual heating of food through a shielding plate, adapting to the rapid cooking of foods with sufficient internal moisture.

[0027] A microwave heating device includes a heating chamber 10, a water-absorbing component 20, and a microwave assembly 30. The heating chamber 10 has a first chamber 200 for placing food 100 and a second chamber 300 communicating with the first chamber 200. The water-absorbing component 20 is disposed inside the second chamber 300 of the heating chamber 10 and has a porous structure. The microwave assembly 30 is disposed outside the heating chamber 10 and has a microwave irradiation area covering the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300, for emitting microwaves toward the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 to heat the food 100 in the first chamber 200 and simultaneously heat the water-absorbing component 20 to generate steam.

[0028] Specifically, participation Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the microwave component 30 is located outside the heating box 10. When the microwave component 30 emits microwaves from the top, the food 100 in the first chamber 200 and the water-absorbing component 20 in the second chamber 300 can be heated simultaneously. The water-absorbing component 20 has a porous structure that can quickly generate a large amount of steam. When the continuously generated steam fills the second chamber 300, it can be forced into the first chamber 200, so that the steam can evenly wrap the food 100 in the first chamber 200 under microgravity, thereby forming a micro-steaming effect to ensure the taste of the food 100 when heated. A good micro-steaming effect is achieved by heating with a single microwave component 30, avoiding the arrangement of complex steam generator structures and effectively improving the heating taste and efficiency of the food 100.

[0029] In this embodiment, the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 are stacked in the microwave irradiation area of ​​the microwave component 30, and the first chamber 200 is located between the microwave emitting surface 31 of the microwave component 30 and the second chamber 300.

[0030] Specifically, participation Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 are arranged in parallel from top to bottom. The microwave emitting surface 31 is located at the top of the heating box 10. Microwaves are emitted from the top downwards. After filling the first chamber 200, they can continue to fill the second chamber 300, thereby achieving simultaneous heating of the food 100 and the water-absorbing component 20. The steam generated by the water-absorbing component 20 is pressed into the first chamber 200 from bottom to top. Under microgravity, the steam can be evenly distributed in the first chamber 200, thereby better enveloping the food 100 and achieving rapid heating and improved taste of different types of food 100.

[0031] In this embodiment, a shielding plate 40 is also included. The shielding plate 40 is detachably disposed inside the heating chamber 10 and located between the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300.

[0032] Specifically, participation Figures 1 to 4 As shown, when the food 100 to be heated is liquid or has sufficient moisture, the shielding plate 40 is installed. This shielding plate can absorb and block a large amount of microwaves emitted from the top of the heating chamber 10 from passing through the first chamber 200 and continuing to fill the second chamber 300, thereby preventing the water-absorbing component 20 from being continuously heated by microwaves and generating steam. When the moisture distribution inside the food 100 to be heated is uneven and some parts are relatively dry, the shielding plate 40 is removed. The water-absorbing component 20, which has a porous structure, can receive a large amount of microwaves and be heated to quickly generate a large amount of steam. This steam is then transmitted into the first chamber 200 through the gas pipe 14 to wrap around the food 100, so that the dry parts of the food 100 are moistened, thereby improving the taste and efficiency of heating the food 100.

[0033] To ensure that the shielding plate 40 can absorb a large amount of microwaves emitted into the second chamber 300, in this embodiment, the heating box 10 includes an outer shell 11, a first box 12 and a second box 13 disposed inside the outer shell 11. The first box 12 and the outer shell 11 form the first chamber 200, and the second box 13 and the outer shell 11 form the second chamber 300. A support member 111 is provided on the inner wall of the outer shell 11. The support member 111 is located between the first box 12 and the second box 13 to support the shielding plate 40.

[0034] Specifically, participation Figure 4 As shown, food 100 is placed in the first chamber 200 formed by the first housing 12 and the outer shell 11, water-absorbing component 20 is placed in the second chamber 300 formed by the second housing 13 and the outer shell 11, and support component 111 is located between the first housing 12 and the second housing 13 arranged from top to bottom, so that the shielding plate 40 can absorb a large amount of microwaves emitted from the microwave component 30 from top to bottom, without affecting the heating of food 100 in the first chamber 200, thereby realizing the rapid cooking of different kinds of food 100.

[0035] Similarly, in other embodiments, multiple shielding plates 40 can be placed on the support member 111 to enhance the shielding effect of the shielding plates 40. The shielding plates 40 can be detachably connected to the heating box 10 by snap-fit ​​or other means, which is not limited here. The specific arrangement can refer to the arrangement of the shielding plates 40 described above.

[0036] In this embodiment, the heating box 10 also includes a gas supply pipe 14, with its two ends connected to the first box 12 and the second box 13, respectively.

[0037] Specifically, participation Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the gas supply pipe 14 is located inside the heating box 10, enabling communication between the first chamber 200 inside the first box 12 and the second chamber 300 inside the second box 13. This allows a large amount of steam generated by the water-absorbing component 20 inside the second chamber 300 to be transferred into the first chamber 200 through the gas supply pipe 14, thereby ensuring that the food 100 can be evenly wrapped and moistened, thus improving the cooking taste of the dried food 100.

[0038] In this embodiment, the heating box 10 also includes a plurality of flexible belts 15, which are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the first box body 12 for fixing the food 100 in the first chamber 200.

[0039] Specifically, participation Figure 4 As shown, the flexible belts 15 are arranged crosswise inside the first box 12, which can fix multiple different types of food 100 and prevent the food 100 from moving arbitrarily in a microgravity environment.

[0040] In this embodiment, the microwave component 30 includes a magnetron 32 and a stirrer 33 connected to the magnetron 32. The magnetron 32 is used to generate microwaves, and the stirrer 33 is located above the heating chamber 10 and is used to transmit microwaves into the heating chamber 10.

[0041] Specifically, participation Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the stirrer 33 is located above the heating chamber 10, and the magnetron 32 is connected to the stirrer 33, so that the microwaves generated by the magnetron 32 can be evenly emitted into the heating chamber 10 by the stirrer 33, and pass through the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 in sequence, thereby realizing the common heating of the food 100 and the water-absorbing component 20, thereby improving the heating taste and efficiency of the food 100, and facilitating the placement of a shielding plate 40 between the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 to regulate the microwaves in the second chamber 300.

[0042] In this embodiment, a cooking chamber 50 is also included. The cooking chamber 50 has a cooking cavity 400 that accommodates the heating chamber 10. The stirrer 33 is connected to the cooking cavity 400. The inner wall of the cooking chamber 50 is provided with a positioning groove 500. The outer wall of the heating chamber 10 is provided with a positioning protrusion 16 that matches the positioning groove 500. The positioning protrusion 16 is detachably inserted into the positioning groove 500 and can slide within the positioning groove 500.

[0043] Specifically, participation Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the heating box 10 is detachably mounted in the positioning groove 500 via the positioning protrusion 16 and the positioning groove. When it is necessary to place food 100 and water-absorbing component 20 or to replenish water to the water-absorbing component 20, the heating box 10 can be completely removed from the cooking box 50 for operation, which facilitates the removal and replacement of food 100 and water-absorbing component 20.

[0044] In this embodiment, the heating box 10 has an exhaust pipe 17, and the cooking box 50 is provided with an exhaust connector 51 that matches the exhaust pipe 17. One end of the exhaust pipe 17 is connected to the first chamber 200, and the other end is detachably connected to the exhaust connector 51 on the cooking box 50.

[0045] Specifically, participation Figures 1 to 4 As shown, when the positioning protrusion 16 on the heating box 10 is inserted into the positioning groove on the cooking box 50, the heating box 10 can be pushed to realize the automatic docking of the exhaust pipe and the exhaust connector 51, so that the steam in the first chamber 200 and the volatile substances produced by the food 100 can be discharged through the exhaust pipe 17 and treated by the purification device, ensuring the safe micro-steaming of the microwave heating device 1 under microgravity environment.

[0046] In this embodiment, the absorbent component 20 is a porous polymer component.

[0047] Specifically, participation Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the absorbent 20 is a porous polymer component arranged in a spiral shape, which can maximize the surface area of ​​the absorbent 20 in contact with the microwave, thereby facilitating the rapid generation of a large amount of steam when heated by microwaves, achieving the micro-steaming effect of food 100. In addition, the absorbent 20 can be arranged in a smaller box, which can increase the pressure of continuous steam generation, thereby better pressing the steam into the first chamber 200 to evenly coat the food 100 and improve the heating taste of the food 100.

[0048] Similarly, in other embodiments, the absorbent 20 can also be a plate-like structure or other shapes arranged in the second chamber 300. It can be placed anywhere in the second chamber 300, as long as the absorbent 20 can quickly generate a large amount of steam after being heated by microwaves to achieve the micro-steaming effect of the food 100. There are no restrictions here. The specific arrangement can refer to the arrangement of the absorbent 20 described above.

[0049] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0050] The embodiments described above are merely examples of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A microwave heating device, characterized in that, For heating food in a microgravity environment (100), including: A heating box (10) is provided with a first chamber (200) for placing the food (100) and a second chamber (300) communicating with the first chamber (200). A water-absorbing element (20) is disposed within the second chamber (300) of the heating box (10), and the water-absorbing element (20) has a porous structure; and A microwave assembly (30) is disposed outside the heating box (10) and has a microwave irradiation area covering the first chamber (200) and the second chamber (300) for emitting microwaves toward the first chamber (200) and the second chamber (300) to heat the food (100) in the first chamber (200) and simultaneously heat the water-absorbing element (20) to generate steam.

2. The microwave heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first chamber (200) and the second chamber (300) are stacked in the microwave irradiation area of ​​the microwave assembly (30), and the first chamber (200) is located between the microwave emitting surface (31) of the microwave assembly (30) and the second chamber (300).

3. The microwave heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a shielding plate (40), which is detachably disposed within the heating box (10) and located between the first chamber (200) and the second chamber (300).

4. The microwave heating device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The heating box (10) includes an outer shell (11), a first box (12) and a second box (13) disposed inside the outer shell (11). The first box (12) and the outer shell (11) form the first chamber (200), and the second box (13) and the outer shell (11) form the second chamber (300). The inner wall of the outer shell (11) is provided with a support member (111), which is located between the first box (12) and the second box (13) to support the shielding plate (40).

5. The microwave heating device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The heating box (10) also includes a gas supply pipe (14), the two ends of which are connected to the first box body (12) and the second box body (13), respectively.

6. The microwave heating device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The heating box (10) also includes a plurality of flexible strips (15), which are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the first box body (12) to fix the food (100) in the first chamber (200).

7. The microwave heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The microwave assembly (30) includes a magnetron (32) and a stirrer (33) connected to the magnetron (32). The magnetron (32) is used to generate microwaves, and the stirrer (33) is located above the heating box (10) and is used to transmit microwaves into the heating box (10).

8. The microwave heating device according to claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes a cooking chamber (50) having a cooking cavity (400) for accommodating the heating chamber (10), the stirrer (33) being connected to the cooking cavity (400), the inner wall of the cooking chamber (50) being provided with a positioning groove (500), and the outer wall of the heating chamber (10) being provided with a positioning protrusion (16) that cooperates with the positioning groove (500), the positioning protrusion (16) being detachably inserted into the positioning groove (500) and being able to slide within the positioning groove (500).

9. The microwave heating device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The heating box (10) has an exhaust pipe (17), and the cooking box (50) is provided with an exhaust connector (51) that matches the exhaust pipe (17). One end of the exhaust pipe (17) is connected to the first chamber (200), and the other end is detachably connected to the exhaust connector (51) on the cooking box (50).

10. The microwave heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The absorbent component (20) is a porous polymer component.

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